The Kitchen Knight
by Grignard
Summary: A retelling of the King Arthur tale, Lynette and Lyonesse. Disguised Fire Lord Zuko, toiling in the Avatar's kitchens as a servant takes on the mysterious Painted Lady's quest. If only he could get past her sharp tongue to figure out her secrets. Zutara.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Zuko trudged along the dusty road cursing to himself with every step. His shaggy hair hung over his eyes, one healthy, the other scarred, yet both had a distant look to them.

His father, his sister, his grandfather. Was there anyone in his family that wasn't psychotic? Uncle, yes, but his affinity for tea and frivolous purchases had his nephew questioning the man's sanity on more than one occasion.

Dear uncle. His father's elder brother had raised him even after his own son had died. What a difference the two men were. Fire Lord Ozai had burned and banished his own child after Zuko had spoken out against his father's edict on world domination. His face, scarred and mutilated, only served to push the ex-princeling to join the side of the Avatar.

Zuko fought on the side of the destined boy in secret disguised as the legendary Blue Spirit. The ornamental mask hid the distinctive mark across his left eye. Zuko still couldn't believe that scrawny little kid was the Avatar.

As the embodiment of the spirits before him, Zuko expected dignity in the twelve year old. The first words out of Aang's mouth had been after a heated battle was, "Hey, do you want to ride on my sky bison?"

Zuko rolled his eyes on the pathway as he reminisced. It had been half a year since he had declined the offer of an air bison flight and defeated his father and sister in battle. Aang was declared the rightful ruler of the Air Kingdom after its previous sovereign, Gyatso, and his people were brutally murdered by Fire Nation soldiers. As the last of his people and being the Avatar, there could be no one other than Aang to rebuild his country. For the Fire Nation, Iroh had assumed the position as Fire Lord, only until his exiled nephew could be found.

The ex-prince knew he could return and be welcomed back, but he wanted to rid himself of his family's demons before he could rule, to pay reparations to the Fire Nation's victims personally.

One of which loved to extol the virtues of his flying steed.

Zuko had heard of the legendary creatures, herds of them had soared through the air, but they were all but extinct now thanks to the Fire Nation. The Fire Prince remembered an old drawing from a scroll about the mythical animal. Sky bison were described as large as a house, covered with white fur and had huge, expressive faces. In fact, he could describe the struggling beast that was about to be captured by nomads in front of him to be identical to what he had read before.

He froze in place. There _really was _a sky bison in front of him.

The animal struggled mightily, but already several ropes bound it to the dusty road. The bison roared with fear and displeasure.

Swiftly Zuko reached for the dao swords behind him, and leaped into the air, severing the beast's bindings. He gave it a wide berth as the creature escaped, a lesson not learned by its former captors. The white furred animal knocked out the poachers nearest to it with a powerful head butt. The prince disabled one enemy with the flat of his honed blades.

The sudden rustle of movement behind him and Zuko cursed inwardly. _What did Uncle always teach you?_ _Never let your back go unprotected!_

He spun around, ready to engage in his enemy, but a sudden blast of wind pushed his attacker into a stone wall, knocking the man unconscious.

"T-thanks," he stuttered to the sky bison. The creature lolled out its tongue and gave an amused snort that smelled distinctively unpleasant.

"Appa!"

A sudden shout and Zuko found himself approached by a short, bald boy dressed in yellow and orange robes. The child had materialized from above, folding a red air glider neatly into a staff. He gratefully ran over to his companion, giving the sky bison an affectionate hug.

"Aww buddy, you're ok!" The beast licked his owner with a tongue as big as the boy.

Zuko cringed in horror as the kid was covered in saliva.

"I'm Aang. Thanks for saving Appa!"

The rescuer blinked in surprise. No way. The distinctive blue tattoos, using air currents to travel. He had run into the Avatar in the middle of nowhere.

The scarred man shrugged with disinterest, "It's no big deal." He sheathed his swords, prepared to continue on his aimless journey.

"Wait!" Aang called out. "I didn't even get your name. Don't you need anything? You deserve it after saving my best friend!"

Aang gave it an affectionate rub against the beast's hairy head, "Besides Momo, Appa's the only thing I have left that reminds me of home."

Zuko winced. It was his family's history that had caused the Air Nomad genocide. If anything, he should be the one asking the Air Kingdom's sovereign what he could do for the boy.

"My name's not important," Zuko rasped. "But I could use a place to stay until I need to go."

The young boy perked up. "You're welcomed to stay in my castle. There are plenty of rooms, and if you need something to do, I'm sure I can find you a job."

With a bend of the great creature's legs, Zuko scrambled up onto Appa's saddle. Aang merely air-bent a gust of wind and landed delicately with the reins clasped in his hands. The scarred prince was always in awe at witnessing the Airbender's powers. Harnessing the currents of delicate winds was nothing like the explosion of uncontrolled fire.

One gut-wrenching lurch and the sky bison and its two passengers were flying in the air.

Aang glanced over at his new companion. "Have we met before? You seem really familiar."

Zuko froze, but shook his head. "No, I'm sure I would have remembered meeting the Avatar," he lied.

The young king sighed. "Everyone always knows who I am, but I don't know who they are."

"The tattoos and the airbending are a pretty good indicator," Zuko deadpanned.

The boy merely rubbed his hand against the back of his neck.

"Yeah I guess you're right."

He took the statement in stride and with the attention of a turtle duck changed the topic of discussion.

"So what do you want to do at the castle? There's training the ostrich horses, teaching the squires, or taking inventory of the treasury."

He rattled off a typical nobleman's position, making a face at the last job. Aang himself would rather be rolling around on his air scooter with the other youths his age than that, but the duty of ruling had fallen to him.

"The kitchens," the scarred man whispered after a brief moment of silence.

The air kingdom was known to be a hub for any wayfarers. Although the Fire Nation people did not travel outside their own borders often, Zuko couldn't risk being recognized by his own kind.

The young king wrinkled his nose in confusion. "Alright, if you're sure…" It was such an odd request!

He pressed his hands together, bowing lowly in the manner of the air monks, "I, Aang, leader of the Air Nomads, promise you safe haven within my borders as long as you don't hurt anyone else. You can also have one favor, anything you ask for and I'll give it to you!"

Zuko clasped a fist against his chest, like his kinsmen did, accepting the boon.

Aang wondered why that looked so familiar.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

"The kitchens?!" an astonished voice squawked out. "Are you kidding me? Look at his hands! He's never seen a rough day's work in his life. They're as white as snow!"

Zuko gave a glare at the dark-skinned water tribesman who was currently ridiculing the man right in front of him. The warrior's brown hair was pulled up into a wolf's tail and a metal boomerang hung loosely on his belt.

"But Sokka!" Aang exclaimed. "I promised him anything he wanted. He saved Appa!"

Sokka slapped an open palm against his forehead. "It doesn't mean that you can give him the keys to the kingdom, Aang. It's bad enough we get so many visitors every day."

The boy in orange robes scuffed some loose pebbles in the courtyard with his foot, "Yeah, but they make the castle feel not so lonely."

The King's steward placed a warm hand on Aang's shoulder in compassion. "I'm sorry. You're right, Aang, and you did always say you wanted to help people from the war."

Not only was the Air Temples destroyed, but they had opened their land to refugees and those who couldn't return home. Aang's generosity was truly a mark of his good heart.

Sokka glanced up at the silent man wondering what this stranger was hiding. His coloring certainly wasn't of the Water Tribe. Perhaps he was a citizen of the Earth Kingdom? Golden eyes though. There was only one nation who possessed those. Maybe he was born of a mixed pairing so often found on the borders. His Fire Nation side might have been shunned, so this stranger sought shelter at the castle.

"Alright, you can work in the kitchen, but I'll be keeping a close eye on you," the warrior cautioned.

The new addition scowled inwardly at the Water Tribesman's threatening tone, but forced out a thank you anyway.

"Hey, what do I call you anyway?" Sokka questioned as he dug into his pouch to pull out a strip of dried meat. He looked upon his find like it was the Holy Grail and lovingly devoured it with ravenous bites.

Aang jumped in, "I tried asking his name, but he wouldn't tell me." The boy straightened with concern, "You're not running away from something that could be a danger to my kingdom are you?" His grey eyes looked piercingly into the taller man's.

"No," Zuko admitted slowly. He could feel the boy's chi flaring, just as powerful as before. He truly was the Avatar.

Technically the man from the Fire Nation had run away, and the only danger that could have followed him was Ozai and Azula. However, the father and daughter pair was safely locked away on Boiling Rock.

Sokka tapped his foot on the ground in thought. "How about I call you 'Piao Shou' due to your delicate hands?"

"Shou it is!" Aang jumped in, ever enthusiastic.

The newly named Shou pinched the bridge of his nose. Heat radiated off the fire bender, unbeknownst to the other two who continued to chatter on.

_Pale hands, what a degrading name!_

"I saw Hawky this morning. Was he carrying a message?" Sokka adored his beloved messenger hawk, but the feeling was _not_ mutual.

The Air King nodded, "Reports from the South. There's been some strange activity lately."

Sokka frowned. "I haven't heard from my sister in a long time. I wonder if that's why. It's not like the Southern Water Tribe to be late in their reports. Maybe I should visit her."

As Zuko was led off by a green clad Earthbender to his new duties in the kitchen, he wondered if he'd ever find a place in this strange new world.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Spring flowers evolved into summer sun as time passed in the Air Kingdom.

Aang sat on the royal dais, stirring up little dusty clouds with his fingertips. Having open forums was best for the general populace to voice their issues, but some citizens could be trying. A cabbage merchant had come in complaining for hours about his destroyed cabbage shipment.

When would something interesting happen?

The soft tap of slipped feet upon the stone walkway drew the young king's attention to the next supplicant.

Dark red robes hugged the slim form of a young woman as she knelt before the ruler. A peek of a tan shoulder, hidden under a translucent veil, was accented with strips of red paint. Her wide brimmed straw hat hid her face, but the melodious voice hinted at her beauty.

"I give you greetings, Avatar Aang, and thank you for allowing me to speak at your court." She stood, raising her head in full view.

"Wow," the Air Kingdom monk breathed. The girl had the bluest eyes he had ever seen!

"You want to go penguin sledding?" He bet she would be great at riding the great beasts across the frozen tundra!

The stranger's red lips fell open in shock. This was the King of the Air Nomads?

"Uh, not right now, Lord Aang," she stuttered. "Maybe at another time. I come to ask for assistance for my mistress."

Aang recovered from his disappointment quickly. "Oh, of course. How can I help?"

"My lady is being besieged by a bloodthirsty warrior called the Red Knight. He refuses to leave until she marries him, and he becomes master of her realm. She continues to deny him, but he attacks any who tries to save her."

"How did you manage to escape?" the airbender asked.

The dark haired woman clasped her hands together. "In the middle of the night through the woods. I can re-trace my path, but I ask for your best warrior to come with me to defeat the Red Knight."

"Great! Let me get Appa, and we can travel there through the sky. It'll be much quicker than walking through the woods." The orange robed boy leapt up from his chair.

A dry cough interrupted the boy's eagerness, "Avatar Aang, may I remind you that Lord Iroh will be coming from the Fire Nation for a state visit at any moment now? That is why you sent Sokka to escort him here." The adviser ruefully squashed Aang's eagerness.

"Oh," the bald monk muttered as he sat back down. His scheduler was right. He had sent his Steward out to greet Iroh at the waterfront port. It would be a grave insult to the Fire Nation if he left his visitor without a royal host. The trappings of ruling had ensnared him again.

Zuko's eyes widened from his appointed place toiling by the heated stoves. _Uncle was coming here?_

"Aang!" A voice shouted from the crowd of people. The young king glanced around determining who called out for him. It sounded like it was coming from the kitchens?

The man ran from the busy room, no doubt preparing for the luncheon hour, kneeling on one knee in front of the bald boy. "Aang, let me take the quest."

The air monk looked across at the stooping figure. Shou had been at the castle for months now, but he had mainly kept to himself. Aang tried to get to know the mysterious figure more, but the older man remained stubbornly tight lipped. Why now of all times did he choose to speak?

"I don't know. This sounds like a tough fight. I should send someone more experienced." All he knew about Shou was that he could take down a squad of sand raiders. How would the scarred man fare against an armored knight?

"I can do it, Avatar. You said I could take any favor I want. I ask to take this one."

An irate voice interrupted their conversation. "Don't I get a say in this?! I come asking for your best knight and you send the servants?!"

The woman in red glared at the two men with livid anger.

Zuko gulped. If she was a Firebender he was sure she would have struck him down with a blast of fire.

Aang rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I promised him he could have anything he asked for."

She smacked her hand against her forehead with eerie familiarity to the Fire Nation man.

"I can't believe my destiny is in the hands of a kitchen boy!"

Zuko stood at the insult. This woman was a shrew and a harpy with a barbed tongue!

"Listen Lady, didn't your mother ever teach you to be nice to strangers?"

The populace felt a physical chill in the room as the words left his mouth. No one noticed though, too enraptured with the two bickering people.

Ice blue eyes glared at furious golden ones as lightning threatened to cross between the pair.

"You are _not_ coming with me."

"I am."

The woman threw up her hands with a scream of frustration. "Nevermind! I'll ask King Kuei of the Earth Kingdom for his help instead!" She stalked out of the formal meeting room in a huff.

Aang placed a glum chin in his hand. "Are you sure about this Shou?"

"Yes Aang, I've never been so sure about anything in my life," the man said as he dashed out to ready himself to follow the veiled woman. He could hear the royal fanfare announcing the return of the Avatar's Steward with, no doubt, his Uncle. The young prince was not ready to face his relative, his mind still in turmoil over all that had happened after the war.

May the spirits forgive him for running away from his duties once more.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

Zuko hurried to his simple room to grab his dao swords and a bag of basic provisions. By the time he had his ostrich horse saddled, the woman robed in red was nearly half a league away.

_Am I insane for taking on this woman's mission? She has more venom than a two-headed rat viper!_

He urged his mount forward quickly catching up to the dark-haired woman's irate pace.

"Listen, Lady, we may have gotten off to a bad start, but I wouldn't have asked unless I wasn't a capable fighter!"

She stopped her ostrich horse so quickly, it reared its head back, pulling on the bit in agitation.

The movement caused her wide brim hat to tumble off her head revealing a mass of wavy brown curls, a delicate, round face, and the bluest eyes Zuko had ever seen in his life. She would have been beautiful if not for the ruby red lips which scowled furiously at him.

"Men and your egos! It's not your fighting skills I'm worried about. It's my Mistress' wrath when she finds out I didn't get her a Knight, but a kitchen boy to defend her!" She rubbed slim fingers against her temples, willing away the headache. "The Red Knight's only going to cut your head off anyway. I might as well start heading for the Earth Kingdom."

The golden eyed prince bristled. He had single-handedly helped the Avatar regain his kingdom! Who was she to question his abilities?!

The sound of pounding feet against the ground caught both of their attentions. Zuko squinted through the glare of the morning sun.

"Oh no, it's Sokka. He's probably going to try and drag me back to the castle," he muttered under his breath. The young man turned to his companion only to find empty air.

_Where did she go?_

"Hey! Piao Shou! What do you think you're doing?!"

The water tribesman was breathless from his mount's headlong chase from the castle. What had Aang been thinking allowing the help to take such a dangerous task? On most days he still couldn't believe that the boy was the appointed ruler of the Air Kingdom.

The servant took a deep calming breath. "Aang said I could call in my favor at any time. I chose to take the Lady's."

Sokka took an interested look at his words. "The Lady? Is she pretty?"

The golden-eyed man snorted, "She has a pretty sharp tongue."

The steward shook his head to get his mind to concentrate. "Anyway you shouldn't have asked to take on something you're not ready for. You could be killed. Go back to the castle, and I'll rescue the woman."

_Of course, he wants to take the credit and flirt with someone who bats their eyes at him, _Zuko thought dryly. The Firebender couldn't help but be offended at the condescending dismissal.

"Tell you what," the older man offered. "Beat me in a sword fight, and I'll return to the castle. If I win, you'll let me go."

Sokka straightened in his saddle. "Shou, you don't know what you're asking. I am a master swordsman. I trained under Sifu Piandao himself!"

Zuko nodded knowingly.

The legendary warrior who hailed from the Fire Nation was a disappointment to not possess any firebending, but Piandao proved to be adept at forging and fighting with the sword. It was said he defeated one-hundred Fire Nation soldiers when they came to arrest him for desertion. The prince admired him for adhering to his convictions during an unjust war, and he personally used both Piandao and Iroh as his inspiration for rebelling against his father and fighting alongside the Avatar.

"I still challenge you, Sokka, for the right to this quest. If you defeat me, I'll back to the castle without question, but if I win and never come back from fighting the Red Knight," he gave a shrug of a lean shoulder, "Well, then you can say 'I told you so.'"

The brown eyed warrior gave a smirk. How hard it would be to defeat a kitchen drudge?

Both men dismounted and drew their weapons. Sokka possessed a sword made from a meteorite that he had personally used in the war. His opponent drew only one single, curved dao sword.

They bowed to each other signaling an honorable duel, and in a blink of an eye Sokka struck first. The brown haired man expected to knock out his taller opponent with lightning quickness.

In a sword fight the first ten seconds were crucial and despite what the plays made them out to be, most fights were not a long, drawn out affair.

_Clang!_

The sharp clash of Shou's sword against his own startled the dark skinned water tribesman.

Sokka grinned. So this was what Shou was hiding? He was actually pretty good as another one of the steward's slashes was blocked. Almost too good, Sokka thought with alarm as the bout continued.

As the man started to press his attack with a flurry of movement, the brown haired water tribesman thought enough was enough. He was prepared to execute a complex move taught to him by Sifu Piandao himself.

The water tribesman feinted left and slashed upwards with a powerful thrust only to encounter open air.

_Impossible! No one knew that move, but only those taught by the reclusive swordsman himself! It was as if Piandao had trained Shou personally, but that couldn't be. The tale, paler man was only a kitchen boy._

A feminine figure with dark hair materialized at the edge of the woods.

"Katar-" he stated dumbly as he stared at the girl.

The pommel of the man's sword slamming against the back of Sokka's head was the last thing he remembered before darkness overtook him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zuko hauled the unconscious man onto the waiting ostrich horse, slapping the animal from behind to start its return to the castle. As he hauled himself onto his own mount, he had to admit that with any other opponent, Sokka would have been a formidable fighter. The insensible warrior never knew that Zuko was Piandao's longest student. It was one of the few things the royal had to thank his father for.

That last minute distraction had been his downfall.

_What was Katar?_

It was unlike the disciplined warrior to be distracted. What had drawn his attention?

Knowing he had no time to dwell on it, Zuko beckoned to his mount to find the missing woman. Her ostrich horse's footprints were faint but he could track a falcon on a cloudy day.

The prince emerged from the tree line onto a picturesque clearing. Tall evergreen trees allowed beams of sunlight to filter in, painting the world in green and gold. A lone figure knelt by the shore of a clear lake.

He dismounted intending to give her an earful on leaving so suddenly, but the sight of the woman dressed in red stopped all of his thoughts.

Her bare shoulders were devoid of the crimson stripes, and the royal had obviously interrupted her after she had just washed her face. She was younger than Zuko had realized with features so similar to the Avatar's Steward. All Water Tribesmen look similar with their dark skin and hair, but her eyes. He had never seen another with eyes so bright.

A lone drop of water trickled from her soft cheekbone down her smooth neck. The man felt himself growing warm, as if he downed a bowlful of fire flakes. His hand itched to trace the bead of water's path.

"You beat Sokka?" The surprise in her voice was evident.

Zuko snapped back, "There's more to me than meets the eye. Don't think you know me from first sight."

Severe blue eyes narrowed at him. "I see a boy with issues running away from his responsibilities."

_Th-That was unexpected, _he thought with bewilderment.

"It's not true!" the shaggy haired man bit out. "I'm not running away from anything!"

The woman smiled unnervingly, "Uh huh. You just wanted to escape the kitchens to avoid scrubbing the pots and pans!"

Golden eyes widened with relief. That's right. She wasn't talking about his royal duties.

"What's your story? Why did you leave when Sokka caught up to us?" Zuko ventured, changing the subject.

A graceful curve of her shoulder arched up as she shrugged. "The Steward is a busy man with no time to waste on missions one of his knights could do." She pointed with an accusing finger towards the taller, pale man. "You on the other hand are a nobody from the kitchens who probably cheated to beat Sokka in a fight!"

Her face transformed from accusation to concern, "What did you do to Sokka? Is he hurt?"

"I knocked him out when his guard was down. He'll probably have a headache when he wakes up but he's on his way back to the castle," Zuko bit out still fuming from her slight.

A quiet sigh, "Oh thank La. He always did have a hard head."

Zuko frowned. The woman almost seemed visibly relieved for Sokka's welfare.

"Do you know him? You look similar, my Lady."

Dark hair and dark skin, a common trait to the Water Tribesmen, but there was something more between the pair. Identical facial structures and their way in speaking maybe spoke of kinsmen, but then again no one knew he and Azula was related until it was pointed out to them. Their personalities were like fire and, well, hotter fire.

His companion shook her head, "He is from the Chieftain's clan while I am from a family of no distinction, so you can stop calling me 'Lady.' I am only my mistress' maid, and if I want to make it back to her in time, I can't waste my time chatting with you!"

_Ah there was that viper's tongue again._

"Well you never told me your name, and you came dressed just like the Painted Lady, so until you do, that's what I'll call you," he snarled out.

The woman gaped openly at him in wonder, "You know of the Painted Lady? She's only spoken about in old Water Tribe legends."

Zuko nodded. "She was in a few of the scrolls in the library when I was growing up."

In all honesty, it was the woman's unearthly beauty illustrated in the scroll that drew him to her story. As he read her tale, the spirit's kind exploits towards the poor caused Zuko to be interested in a gentler rule than his father's harsh reign. From her he discovered the Blue Spirit and both seemed to be a matched pair in benevolence.

"A library? What would a kitchen boy be doing in a library?" The woman emulating the mystical water spirit questioned him.

The taller man thought quickly to cover his slip. "My master was kind and allowed me access to scrolls as long as I got my work done."

That was an obvious lie, she thought, but the position of the sun signaled that now was not the time to interrogate him.

"I don't have time to deal with you. Do whatever you want, but I have to take the path that crosses the Black Knight's realm and I don't want to get caught out there."

Zuko frowned. "Then that gives me even more reason to go with you. You need protection."

"I can take care of myself! I'd been on my own for ages before that horrible woman stole-"

Her torrent of words was cut short by a gasp, and to the man's horror she clawed at her neck in an attempt to breathe again. The blue eyed woman dropped to her knees as her fit passed, as he gripped her slim shoulders with alarm.

_His hands are warm,_ she thought as she recovered. The brunette imagined she would never be rid of the cold that encircled her frozen land or her spirit.

"Are you ok? What was that?" the worried man asked her.

She couldn't remember the last time someone looked upon her with concern. It had been too long. She couldn't allow anyone to get close to her.

"I'm fine," she rasped in a voice now similar to his own. Despite her convulsion, she climbed onto her ostrich horse, and started off without looking back at her companion.

_Women these days, _Zuko muttered before doing the same.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

The pair rode in silence, the girl never turning to address him or stopping to rest.

Zuko was about to call a halt to their travel when they rode through a thick hedge of flowering bushes only to encounter a sturdy wooden building. Its triangular roof had a large black banner draped across its eaves. A golden fan was the standard's only spot of color.

_Where had he seen that emblem before?_

"Turn back now," intoned the Painted Lady as she admonished him. "The Black Knight is very protective of the surrounding lands and only pays homage to the Red Knight who aggravates my mistress. Any trespasser will be challenged to a battle." She looked upon him from head to toe. "You might have been lucky against Sokka, but this is one fight where you will not win."

The man snorted with irritation. Did everything out of this harridan's mouth have to be an insult?

"I can take on any challenge," he said with arrogance.

The blue eyed woman only smirked at him. "You go on ahead then. I'm going to continue riding so I don't waste my time watching you lose." She clicked her tongue to her mount and pressed her transport on through the woods.

Now that he was alone, Zuko let out a scream of frustration. He expelled a cloud of heated steam through his nose allowing his bottled up fury a small respite. The scarred man thought by taking the nameless' woman's quest he would have an opportunity to hone his blade, but her sharp tongue may have been too much for him.

There was a golden shield hung upon a sturdy tree branch, so he took his sword and rapped it once upon the shining disc. A clear sound rang from the object, and a figure stepped out from the structure's door as he sheathed his weapon.

Dressed in long robes of dark green and clad with black armor on top, a low voice demanded, "Who has come to challenge the Kyoshi Tribe?"

_The Black Knight was a woman?! Oh wait, now he remembered. The Kyoshi Warriors were based off of Avatar Kyoshi, a fierce woman who fought enemies with blade and fan._

Zuko stepped forward, his hands raised in the air clearly away from his sword.

"I have come on the behalf of a woman who says you serve the Red Knight."

The person nodded. Their face, painted heavily with white makeup and dark eyes and lashes, was a mask just as intricate as his Blue Spirit one. A katana and a folded fan rested within ease of the fighter's grip. She seemed to be Kyoshi incarnate.

With courage, the young man continued on, "I ask that you stop harassing those that pass through your lands, and come with me to Lord Aang's castle so he can pass his judgment on you."

A wide smile graced dark red lips. "You dare give an order to a Kyoshi warrior? I have been made strong through my master, and I have never been defeated."

There was something wrong with her voice. A dark crow cawed overhead.

Zuko sent a wave of his chi towards the girl. He had a brief image of a blank face standing behind her like a puppeteer. He barely had time to take a defensive position before she lashed out with her deadly golden weapon.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Fire Nation prince leapt back feeling the fan uncomfortably close to his exposed neck. He managed in time to pivot backwards from the strike, pulling out his swords to block the Kyoshi Warrior's fan. If it had been an ordinary item, the object would have shattered into a million pieces, but the golden fan had been reinforced with iron strong enough to handle the most powerful blow. The girl showed no emotion as she attacked.

Something wasn't right. No fighter was so stoic in battle. Her pale face was a mask that hid all of her thoughts. The man had a hard time reading her battle aura as he parried her fan. A flurry of movement kicked up the earth as both opponents advanced and retreated, but neither got the upper hand over the other.

The girl's eyes, highlighted with red pigment were demonic, and he scowled as he lost more ground. She only seemed to attack his head and midsection though, so Zuko took his one opening. As her fan swept open to block his dao sword like a shield, the scarred man ducked low, sweeping her feet out from under her.

His opponent landed with a thud on her back and he pressed both blades against her slim throat.

"Don't move!" he shouted.

The girl seemed almost disappointed before her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Just like the woman disguised as the Painted Lady, his opponent shook with convulsions against the hard ground.

_There must have been some sorcery at work._

The Kyoshi Warrior blinked at him showing confusion for the first time in their duel.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

Swiftly Zuko sheathed both her swords, not wanting to alarm her.

"You don't remember? You challenged me to a fight."

"No," she murmured. "The last thing I remembered was leaving the boat when I got to the Southern Water Tribe." She glanced around. "This is our unused base near the Air Kingdom. No one's been here for years."

The prince frowned. "Who invited you to the Southern Water Tribe?"

"It's ruler. She said she needed protection from the Red Knight."

Zuko sensed a theme in this strange quest. "That's funny. Someone said the same thing to me." He glanced up to the noonday sun. "You better go see Avatar Aang. He can alert the other Kyoshi Warriors where you are."

The green clad warrior stood up shakily. "My head feels strange, and my body's tired, as if I fought a dozen battles."

He tilted his head studying her, "You may have. I was told that two Knights on the road to the Red Knight have been challenging all passerbys, blocking any supplies or visitors to the South."

Her mouth dropped open with surprise. "I better go see a healer then." She gave a low bow to her savior. "My name is Suki, what should I tell Lord Aang if he asks who defeated me?"

The scarred man shrugged his shoulders. "Tell them Piao Shou hasn't lost yet."

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

Zuko quickly rode on wondering if the Lady had gotten another head start on him.

To his surprise the woman was perched on a rock just outside where his and Suki's fight had

been. She was eating a small meal of bread and dried meat.

"You didn't go far," he stuttered.

She raised wide, blue eyes at him, clearly surprised. "And I see that you won again. You are definitely are no ordinary person, Kitchen Boy."

He frowned with displeasure. Of all the insulting nicknames.

"I told you I'm a good fighter." His stomach rumbled signaling he had been battling on an empty stomach. Sheepishly he took her offer of the other half of her lunch.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

"Lady-" he began as there were an hour into their journey south.

He could see her hands grip the reins on her steed tightly, but she doesn't deny his title for her.

He continued on. "It looked like the Kyoshi warrior was under mind control. She fought like a demon, but didn't remember anything afterwards."

The woman gave a soft sigh under her breath, "It must have worn off after you defeated her."

"What did, Lady?"

She opened her mouth but no words came out, only that strange sickening croak.

Zuko held a firm hand upwards to stop her, wishing no more harm to come to the dark haired woman. They rode onward together with only the shuffle of their mount's footfalls breaking the silence.

Another glade of trees, and it took a moment for the golden eyed man to realize everything was suddenly adorned with green banners.

The Painted Lady paused before him. "Alright you may have beaten Sokka and the Black Knight, but now we're in the realm of the Green Knight."

"I couldn't tell," he dryly muttered.

"Stop it," she shot back, but a hint of a smile hid in the corner of her lips.

She turned serious blue eyes towards him. "The Green Knight really is a strong and powerful fighter. Turn back now."

_Did she actually sound concerned for him? He must be hearing things._

His blood still sang with the adrenaline of the previous two fights. "I can take him."

The dark haired woman turned towards him saying nothing, but shaking her head. Surprisingly she slid off her ostrich horse. "Go on then, I need to refill my water skin."

Zuko blinked openly out her. "Al-alright," he stuttered.

As the man walked off, he silently berated himself. He had handled the treacherous dealings of the Fire Nation court! Why was talking to one girl so difficult? The young prince had never met anyone as strange as his traveling companion though. His mind itched to solve her mysterious nature.

Through the woods, he ducked under a low hanging bough. The tall evergreens hosted singing birds, and the air was warm. A small figure stood barefoot under a bright beam of light.

"Hey!" the young voice shouted. "Are you challenging the Great Bandit?" The presumptuous speaker was clad in green and gold, a pale yellow headband revealed everything.

"You're a girl?" Zuko squawked out. Not again.

Milky white eyes turned in his direction. "So? What about it?"

He rubbed his hands against his temples. And she was blind, perfect.

"I'm looking for the Green Knight. Can you tell me where he is?"

"You're looking at her, Sparky."

Zuko scowled at the nickname. "Sparky?"

Her small dark head looked up and down at him despite the fact she couldn't see. "You smell like fire, smokey and sparky."

Pale arms flailed backwards. "It's because I was working in the kitchen!" he tried to justify. Could she sense his Firebending nature?

A frown drew the arrogance away from her face, "Wait, you're not a warrior? Only a kitchen boy?"

The golden eyed man shouted out, "I can still fight!"

"Then show me!" and with that statement she lashed out with a wall of stone.

_Me and my big mouth,_ Zuko muttered to himself as he quickly got out of the way. This child did not fight with knife or blade, but with the earth itself. The whole world was her weapon. He found himself on the defensive, merely running away from huge chunks of rock flying towards his direction.

As he dodged, he thought swiftly trying to figure out how she could sense where he was at.

_Her senses, of course!_

The Green Knight could hear him, even from across the distance of the woods. Her smell and sense of touch were probably finely honed also. Taking a powerful leap, he catapulted himself into the tree branches, stilling his heartbeat and his breathing.

The small girl looked confused and lost as she tried to locate her opponent.

"You're not fighting fair! Come down and attack me like a real warrior!" she goaded him.

Zuko remained silent. _Watch and listen, Zuko._ Uncle's words came back to him. He took a moment, studying her movements in the brief respite.

She walked confidently through the glade, nimbly dodging rocks or small obstacles in her path. It was as if she could see where they are.

He remembered a story Iroh had talked about.

As a young man, the Dragon of the West had gotten trapped in a cave with Flutter Bats. Though there were hundreds of them, none touched the man as they flew about the hollow. Eventually the heir to the Fire Nation throne followed the creatures out, locating the cave's entrance through their guidance. The flying beasts had used an unseen force to navigate.

The golden eyed man silently broke off a small tree branch before hurtling it across the clearing.

The girl stamped her foot sending an offshoot of stone upwards obliterating the twig where it landed.

_She really is the best_, he thought with respect, but it proved she could only "see" when an object hit the ground. If he stayed in the trees, he could outwit her.

He took off leaping from branch to branch. A rock boulder slammed into him, knocking the young man to the ground.

"Okay, that didn't work," he muttered.

The sightless Green Knight snickered, "You'll have to do better than that." She let out a yell and thrust out her hand, sending a wave of stone and dirt rushing towards him from the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zuko managed to outrun her attack again, leaving the area a mess of upturned rocks and pebbles. He backed away closer to the tree line leaving the remains of her assault between her and him.

His opponent took a few steps only the broken ground before pausing in confusion. Scowling she backed away onto the untouched ground.

_That's it! She must see using her feet. She can probably feel the vibrations from the ground to hear!_

Quickly he ran towards her prompting a surprised yelp to emit from the little girl.

She pushed a shelf of rock towards him, but the slab crumbled to the ground in pieces as he dodged it.

He spun towards her left in a wide arc, and the dark haired Earthbender sent a shower of dirt in his direction. Zuko jumped upwards, somersaulting over her head and around her again as more and more of the earth churned up from their battle. He still hadn't drawn his swords.

"Stop running like a chicken lizard, or are you scared!?" she mocked him.

Zuko only smirked, continuing to remain silent.

Soon the girl was on a lone island of solid ground. Everywhere around her was only dust and sand.

The young man nimbly leapt behind her, pinning her arms to the side with his own, lifting her off the ground.

Kicking wildly she squirmed and cried out, but the Green Knight was powerless as she was held in the air.

"Let me go! Please let me go! He said he won't send me back to my parents if I keep beating people!"

Zuko continued to suspend her against in body. The small distressed figure seemed so incredibly young now. She couldn't have been more than twelve.

"I won't hurt you," he soothed her as little body trembled. He could tell she was trying hard not to cry. The Fire Nation citizen rocked her gently as if he would a small child, and as her fit passed, the Green Knight slumped in his arms.

"What will I do now? The Red Knight said he'd send me back to my parents in the Earth Kingdom." Her voice was quiet as if she was resigned to her punishment.

The man with the golden eyes carefully set her back on the ground. "You could go to Avatar Aang and the Air Temples. He'll be glad to take you in. You should still contact your parents though."

She made a face irritated at the idea.

"Listen, girl," he lectured.

"My name's Toph!"

"Toph," he amended. "I know a thing about bad parents. You still have to take the first step in forgiveness."

He had yet to visit his father or his sister in their prison, another reason why he didn't wish to return to the Fire Nation so soon.

She turned her sightless eyes towards him, "I could go with you. You were heading South before you came to me."

The man nodded before realizing she couldn't see him. "I was traveling with someone dressed as the Painted Lady. She said she escaped from the Red Knight who had trapped her mistress, somehow avoiding both you and Suki on her way to Aang's castle."

"It's a trap," Toph stated the obvious.

Zuko nodded. "That's why you have to go to Avatar Aang to warn him. I'm going to continue on."

The allure of the blue eyed girl and her secrets were for him and him alone.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

The sun was sinking past the horizon as Zuko broke through the treeline. He expected to make a mad dash onto his ostrich-horse to catch up to the sharp tongued girl who was probably ahead of him again.

"Wait, you're still here?"

The girl was perched on a large boulder, watching the sun set across the plains. She tossed her long, dark hair over a bare shoulder and shrugged, "Toph usually doesn't let people walk out of there on their own two feet."

The scarred man narrowed his eyes. "How did you know her name?"

Another shrug of that slim shoulder, "We've been to the spa a few times. Toph always throws a fit but I think she secretly enjoys going." She glanced at the sun's position. "We should really go if we want to make good time through the forest before nightfall."

The duo pressed onward surprisingly making decent conversation along the path.

"So that's when the pirates decided they didn't like my offer and wanted my ship instead!"

"Since when do kitchen boys have ships?"

Zuko stiffened in his seat atop his mount, "There's more to me than what you see, my Lady. I'll tell you my secrets when you tell me yours."

As predicted, his companion deftly changed the subject choosing a safe resting spot alongside a cool, flowing river.

_The girl seemed to prefer being near water, Zuko thought. Maybe it reminds her of home._

They dismounted and quickly got to work settling up camp for the night. Fresh running water from the stream, a few gathered wild onions and tubers combined with slices of dried meat would make for a good meal this night.

The brunette turned from her task only to observe with surprise.

"Wow, you got the fire started so quickly."

Zuko sheepishly rubbed his head. It was a risk using his bending, but he neglected to bring any flint to start a fire the old fashioned way.

"My uncle and I used to travel by ourselves through the countryside a lot."

"Was that before or after you had the ship?"

The man scowled at her retort, but the small hint of a smile around her lips distracted him. They threw the ingredients into Zuko's travel pot and soon had a delicious soup bubbling. The girl looked on in approval as their meal cooked seeing the tall man set up their sleeping bundles.

"It's much better traveling with you, Kitchen Boy. My brother would goof around while I had to set up camp and cook the evening meal." She held out a bowl of steaming soup for him.

"Well that's unfair for you. How come he gets to play and you do the work?"

The girl took a spoonful of her meal as she reached into her memories, "I guess it's because no one grew up with a mother, so I had to take on that role. We had so much responsibility back then. It was nice to let my brother be a boy instead of a man, for once."

She watched him as he reached for another bowl of soup. Did he inhale the first serving? She had forgotten how fast boys could eat!

Amber eyes watched her over the rim of his bowl. "So when did you have time to relax? Why did you have to sacrifice it all to take care of them?"

The woman paused before softly letting out a small sigh. In the quiet night sky, her voice sang slowly.

"Leaves from the vine  
Falling so slow  
Like fragile tiny shells  
Drifting in the foam  
Little soldier boy  
Come marching home  
Brave soldier boy  
Comes marching home"

Zuko froze. The rough voice of his Uncle singing that same haunting song and the lost memory of a cousin he would never see again flitted through his mind.

"I don't… I don't understand," he mumbled.

Dark eyes met his. "I was told that the brave soldier boy went to join the army for the honor of his country. That he would be proud to serve his captain, but, what if? What if the soldier never volunteered to serve? What if he was forced to?"

She looked pained as she said it, and the young man could not say anything to console her. Was this a hint to her secret?

He struggled to say some words of meaning to her. "Sometimes you don't have to be so selfless. Sometimes it's alright to ask others for help."

She slowly nodded her head, taking in his words. Curling her arms under her head she lay down, watching the waxing moon in the sky.

Zuko could only shake his head at the enigma in front of him. "I'll take the night watch. You get some sleep."

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

A soft sound of water falling from a great height lured Zuko out of the half trance warriors typically used to keep himself relaxed but alert. He placed his hands, tensed to draw his dao swords. As he looked around, he saw the brown haired girl was standing at a far distance away, an empty water skin in her hands.

The Painted Lady re-corked the water skin. "You should get some rest. I'm going to prepare our things and make breakfast."

Zuko gave a grunt and lay down. He'd have time for a quick one hour sleep. Strange, how did the girl know how to wake up a warrior?

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

The girl stared at the moon's nearly full reflection in the still waters of a nearby creek. Once it would have been a sign of great comfort to her. Now it only made her dread. She had thought about her predicament many times in her solitude. Two paths were clear to her: Follow her duties or abandon her responsibilities. Either way someone was going to be hurt.

The moon's reflection grew larger and larger in her vision, as if to engulf her in its calming presence. To her horror, it wasn't the moon growing, but she had leaned too far and her feet were slipping against the rocky shore. Just as she was about to take a wet morning plunge, strong arms wrapped around her midsection.

"Hey! Be careful, unless you wanted to take a bath with your clothes on?"

The man with the golden eyes stared at her as she turned and buried herself into his chest. Though the girl did not weep, she let out her frustrations and terror at her situation out against another stranger for the first time. He left her alone, not offering any advice, only holding her until she was spent.

Wiping her eyes dry with the sleeves of her long dress, the brunette girl gave a warm smile at him. She wasn't alone. Her stern companion had been right the night before. She needed to ask for his help. She would find a way to confide in him.

"Thank you."

And she truly meant it.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

After her emotional outburst, the two quickly gathered their supplies and took their breakfast on the go. Zuko had managed to snag moon peaches from the kitchens of Aang's castle as he was grabbing his travel bag. Not only were they a sweet treat, they were also from Sokka's personal supply. The "servant boy" wished he could have been there to see the Steward's disappointed face.

The pair made small talk as they walked through wooded trees. The air blew crisp and colder the further south they went. The leaves turned from a lush green to a blood red. Zuko continued to follow his strange guide, despite not knowing a thing about her. His father would be chastising him for his stupidity, but his uncle would be saying to offer the girl some tea.

"Hey, where did you get your Painted Lady costume?" Zuko asked her.

"I picked it up when I was passing through the Jang Hui fishing village," she replied casually.

"Huh, the Fire Nation used to have a factory in that same village. It was destroyed a few seasons back."

The girl scratched her cheek with a finger looking around nervously. "I wouldn't know anything about that."

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. "One day, I'll find out your secrets."

"I'll tell you mine, when you tell me yours," she retorted with a sly smile.

Before he could say anything further, the dark skinned girl quickly pulled her ostrich horse to a stop. Looming before the pair was a gigantic gong, but that wasn't what drew their attention.

Hundreds of weapons were suspended in the air by thin ropes. Everything ranging from axes, katanas, spears, to bows hung slowly turning in the air like a macabre mobile display.

"Oh spirits," Zuko cursed aloud. Who would do such a thing? Many of the melee weapons still had a hint of dark red on their keen edges.

"This…" His guide gulped struggling to put the words together. "We're in the Red Knight's domain now. They say his strength rises with the sun. At dawn he is a normal man, but by noon he has the strength of four men. If you wish to challenge him, you should wait until dusk when he loses his power."

Zuko stared at her thoughtfully.

"The Red Knight is the one that is holding your mistress hostage?"

The girl nodded.

"Is this a trap?"

He could feel a spark through his ki, indicating some spiritual force was at work as the girl struggled with her body. She managed to show a single small nod is his direction.

"But you can't win!" She said gasping. "His strength rises with the sun!"

The man smirked, "His isn't the only one whose strength rises with the sun, and I will find out your secrets."

With that said, Zuko raised his dao sword and struck the giant gong with the flat of his blade.

The echo reverberated in the still forest, silencing the birds that nestled in its eaves. The pair waited anxiously for the appearance of the dreaded Red Knight.

"Well well well. It's not often that someone rings this early in the day," an arrogant voice echoed from the clearing.

"Please don't let it be another girl," Zuko muttered.

He placed his hand on one of his dao swords but didn't draw it yet, not willing to antagonize a foe that he hadn't seen.

Through the shadows, a tall, brown haired man swaggered into the field with a dried straw reed in his mouth. "You must have a death wish," he sneered. "Only the foolish call upon me before noon."

The man looked rather ordinary, Zuko thought as he assessed his potential foe. Dark haired, dark eyed, slightly younger than himself. How could this youthful person be the Red Knight that was so feared?

A sharp wind ran through the trees, rattling the assorted weapons like a perverse windchime.

"Have you seen my trophies? Those were taken off those who I slew in combat."

Zuko grimaced slightly. "Do you consider ordinary farmers your enemies? I see pitchforks and rakes up there."

The man bared his teeth in a sharp snarl. "All those who cross my path are the enemy. The princess said so! She declared me a resistance fighter!"

The golden eyed man glanced at the Painted Lady in confusion, "Your mistress ordered the Red Knight to attack people?"

The woman beside him merely stayed silent.

Jet smirked triumphantly. "You've done your task well. I'm sure the princess will be pleased that you lured him here."

The Fire Nation citizen glanced again at his silent companion.

Wait, not silent. She was trying to speak again, but nothing came out of her mouth. Her eyes screamed of warning and to run.

Zuko nodded calmly. "I'll take care of this, Painted Lady. I'll meet you when I win this fight."

With that said, the red-robed girl fled out of the woods.

The taller man assessed the arrogant fighter, "You kill innocents that accidentally wander into your territory?"

The younger fighter roared. "They are not innocents! Only Fire Nation spies and scum! They will never be forgiven for their crimes!"

Ah, another man who blamed the Fire Nation for his troubles. For those like Aang, it was rightfully so, but this Red Knight seemed a little too eager to kill.

Jet could feel the sun's power flooding his veins. The urge to fight was thrumming in his body. He acted on his instincts, and slashed with a single hook blade towards his opponent's neck.

Zuko barely blocked the blow, scrambling backwards to put some distance between him and the Red Knight.

He kicked a fallen tree branch in Jet's direction, only to have the boy effortlessly slice the branch into pieces.

The young prince then took the opportunity to get inside Jet's sword reach, only to have the warrior knowledgeable enough to block and stab within close combat. Both fighters parried and attacked to no avail.

Jet truly was formidable.

His plight only left Zuko with one choice. He threw a kick out sending a plume of flame, causing the arrogant warrior leaping back to avoid the heat.

"Firebender," Jet muttered. His opponent was a firebender!

"Die! Die! All Firebenders must die!"

Zuko groaned. His action only served to enrage his adversary even more!

Jet was a mindless monster now, evading the Firebender's attacks, attacking with a flurry of blows. He was not afraid of fire, and landed an aching blow against Zuko's ankle.

Luckily for the bender, it was enough to bruise, not break, unfortunately his ability to run was hampered.

The young Fire Lord, learning from his lessons during Suki's and Toph's battle took to the trees, carefully avoiding the deadly weapons suspended to the hanging branches. There was only one way he could see to win, but first he had to see if redemption was still an option for the resistance fighter.

"If you cannot forgive the Fire Nation, at least throw away your thoughts of vengeance and killing people," Zuko begged the fighter from his high perch. "The Avatar will judge you with fairness."

The other man scoffed at the offer. "I won't tuck my tail between my legs like a misbehaving bear-dog. I do what I believe is right. If killing civilians helps me get rid of another Fire Nation soldier then that is the fate I pick."

Zuko shook his head sadly.

_Then that's the fate you deserve. _

With that edict Zuko sent a whip of fire across all the ropes holding the weapons in suspension.

Each metallic blade and deadly point hovered in the air for a perverse second before tumbling towards its mark.

Jet, with no avenue of escape had let his pride become his downfall as both a spear and sword pierced his midsection.

The Fire Nation prince leapt down from the branches.

"We can still save you!" he exclaimed, wincing at his injury as he landed.

"Better to die free than imprisoned for the rest of my life. Even with Avatar Aang's forgiveness, no one would ever let me walk freely. It's better this way, to die with a sword in my hand in battle."

Jet took a deep rattling breath, one of the few he had remaining.

"It's funny," he muttered. "She said I was the greatest fighter in the land. No one would defeat me. I think she lied."

With one final sigh, the last freedom fighter died surrounded by the prizes he took.

Zuko stared off at the sun making its slow progress across the sky. How long had he been fighting? Hours? His traveling companion must have gotten impatient and reached her mistress by now. He sheathed his dao swords, and limping, headed towards where he had last seen her go.

A fluttering of wings caught the corner of his eye. The face of a black crow stared at him.

Zuko blinked hazily. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the fight, but the bird was really looking at him, observing him with a piercing stare. He shook his head and left the body of the Red Knight behind him. A shroud of red leaves soon covered the body, the wind whistling a mournful dirge.

The young man stumbled out if the trees, face grimacing from the bright hue of the sun. A flat faced rock lay just ahead of the tree line, and his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.

On the rock sat the woman dressed in red dutifully tying herbs into bundles. From the amount gathered she had appeared to be sitting there for quite some time.

"You waited," he stuttered

"You're alive."

"Barely," he groaned. "I should have listened to you."

"Told you so," she grinned before she grabbed his arm guiding him to lay in her lap.

Her hands traced his torso methodically searching for injuries. A healer's touch he thought fuzzily as she probed the swelling on his ankle. The battle with Jet truly and utterly had exhausted him.

He was about to slip into slumber when her sharp voice called out, "Hey, don't fall asleep now."

"Just make sure I'm still breathing after my nap," he murmured.

Zuko thought to address her betrayal later. For now, he wasn't sure the last time he slept so safely. Maybe when his mother was still with him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The fluttering of a bird called him gently from sleep, and he could feel a hand slowly running fingers through his hair. His dreams had been calm. They hadn't been in weeks. Blue eyes met his golden ones.

"Is it late?" he questioned with a yawn.

"Not quite." She continued threading her fingers through his shaggy locks.

"We could just walk away from everything now," he asked casually with some hope.

"Run from it all? What about your responsibilities in the castle?"

He felt a twinge of pain at that statement. He had done it before, escaping from his duties at the Fire Nation.

"Besides, that's not how the stories go," she continued wistfully. "I'm not sure how mine will end."

He stood up, stretching, and offered his hand. "Well I can't let you find out by yourself. Your secrets still need to be revealed."

"Yours too," she countered.

They left the cool woods to the edge of a rocky landscape where the tall ice walls blocked a land of wind and snow. As they approached the gated bridge between land and sea, a woman stepped onto the raised walls. Raising her hands in welcome, she greeted the pair.

"Greetings from the Southern Water Tribe! I am Princess Katara. I bid you welcome."

Her face was the exact mirror image of the girl beside him.

Zuko glanced in confusion between the two doppelgängers. One dressed in the traditional blue of a Water Tribe member, hair loopies framing her face. The other masquerading as the Painted Lady in red, her head hanging down shamefully.

Before he could ask either girl what was going on, a servant emerged from the shadows. A non-descript man dressed in black, looked at the pair before whispering something to the princess.

"You have defeated the Red Knight and saved me from his tyranny. Please, I would be honored if my brave knight will eat and rest in my home tonight."

Zuko had confirmed that to be a lie from Jet himself. The taller man subtly glanced at the silent girl beside him. Her skin was pale and her lips were spread tight in a thin line. Though her eyes were downcast he could see her hands gripped together tightly shaking.

With fear or anger, he wondered.

"I'd be honored to accept your hospitality," he answered.

The servant whispered something into the royal's ear.

Strange, Zuko thought as the great ice wall lowered itself down. The servant's lips seemed to move out if sync with the sound.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

"My Lord, if the sea prunes are not to your liking, I can ask to bring something else for you," Princess Katara offered politely.

Zuko nodded his head. More out of a desire to get rid of the disgusting things than to see the Painted Lady again.

Her dark head appeared around the corner and took the offending dish. Her eyes flashed with anger as she passed her mistress. Maybe her tale about the solder reflected herself rather than another.

"Now my good Lord, you've defeated all three of the Black, Green, and Red Knights single-handedly. Tell me, were you a knight in Avatar Aang's kingdom or another nation?"

Several of Aang's favored companions, those who aided him in the war, were declared distinguished knights for their valor.

"I am not a knight, milady, or a Lord. Only a kitchen boy."

The woman's lip sneered up in disgust. "Don't be modest. I was told you are a great bender and very high in stature."

Zuko frowned. "Who told you this?"

Flickering eyes showed panic as she struggled to find words.

"Why my servant girl did. She told me your thrilling tale especially how you fire bent against Jet."

Alarm bells began sounding in the man's head. His instincts had already warned him of even walking into the castle, and now they were confirmed. The Painted Lady had never seen his battles. His travels had been watched, but for how long? Since his time at Aang's or after killing the Red Knight?

"You must be tired from your ordeal. Please rest, my Knight. We will talk in the morning," the princess smoothly intoned. Precious jewels flashed on her fingers and wrists.

His Painted Lady would never be so materialistic, Zuko thought. Only a simple pendant around her neck graced her slim figure.

The Princess personally walked him to his rooms. Unusual, typically it was a servant's task.

Zuko looked around warily. The entire castle was empty. In fact, he had yet to see any cooking fires that usually dotted the Southern Water Tribe landscape. Was the whole nation abandoned?

To his surprise the girl followed him into his rooms, looking towards him seductively. It was wrong seeing that look from his companion's face.

He cut to the point directly, "You knew that the Red Knight's name was Jet. You told him he was the greatest knight, but now you're welcoming the person who defeated him."

He stared at the stupefied girl speaking further. "This was all a trap. You wanted to lure a real knight by encouraging a villain. You made Jet think he was a hero, defending a princess from evil. Why?"

"To get you here, of course."

A sharp sudden sting pierced his neck. Zuko reached out only to pull out the sharp barb of a dart.

_Poison?_

The strange servant bent over him, holding the weapon that caused Zuko's fear. Now that he was close Zuko could see that the man had a vacant expression. Like the face was not one that he was used to. It grimaced in a strange smile.

"Yes, poison, and slow acting. We have to find out who you are of course. A crow's eyes can only see so much."

"Who are you? Where's your maid, the one who brought me here?" Zuko bellowed struggling to get up. Already his limbs felt heavy and his heart was racing.

The servant glanced at the Princess. "Stupid girl. You spoke too freely."

He turned from his chastisement of the princess addressing the fallen man, "She found me in the Spirit World desiring wealth and power. She promised me faces, many faces. The Southern Water Tribe was not enough. I looked in the visions and saw a great bender coming to the castle. We only had to lure him with a quest."

Zuko felt a convulsion rattle through him. The poison was taking effect. It was getting harder to concentrate.

A hand dug through his satchel bag ever present at his side.

"Well what's this?"

The man held up a shiny bauble glittering in the setting sun's light. Four-sided, encased in gold, a bright golden wrought metal flame decorated the top.

"No," Zuko groaned.

"It's a seal!" The girl greedily grasped at it, no doubt calculating its worth in her head. "What's it say?"

"Fire Lord," the man translated with ease. "Well this is a pretty prize we've caught."

"I thought this plan was ridiculous! Not only did I have to know enough to impersonate my cousin, you had to steal her face and convince three warriors to hold me hostage later."

"The Spirit World knows nothing of time. It shows what is, was, and is to come. I can only guess at what I see to make the best of our arrangement."

The pair stood at the doorway ready to depart with their stolen prize.

"Wait, the other girl," Zuko whispered.

"Oh don't worry about her," the girl laughed with a cackle. "I'm about to see if she's enjoying her view of the dungeons. By the time anyone thinks to venture into the castle, you'll both be long dead."

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

Katara shook the doors futilely achieving nothing to her frustration.

The girl wearing her face smirked smugly at her. "You know better than anyone that no one can escape the Southern Water Tribe dungeons."

The bars were strong and solid, hosting a secret in this void. The overlap of the moon and the magnetic poles made this location a dead spot for any bending abilities.

The trapped girl screamed, "Take the castle, the Southern Water Tribe Kingdom, anything you want! Just let me out and tell me where the Kitchen Boy is!"

The doppelganger gave a harsh laugh. "Kitchen Boy? You traveled with him for two days, and you still don't know his secret?" The woman smirked. "He's no Kitchen Boy. He's the Fire Lord."

Katara's eyes widened. The shaggy haired, rude man was the ruler of the Fire Nation?

Kaya sighed. "This is going better than I expected. Think of all the chaos Koh and I could wreak upon the Kingdoms. How many riches I could obtain."

The victim open her mouth to speak, but out came a ghastly croak instead.

"Oh, do forgive me, Cousin. I forgot about the spell Koh put on you." She raised her voice letting it ring in the small hallway. "I give you back your name, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, daughter of Hakoda and Kya. I give you back your powers, and the power to speak of this."

With a snap, both could feel the onus lifting from room. Katara hit the floor gasping loudly. Finally, the spell that Koh had placed over her had been nullified, and she could speak freely.

"Kaya! You idiot! You know messing with the Spirit World, and especially Koh the Face Stealer is just asking for punishment. Are you willing to risk getting taken into the Spirit World for wealth?"

The doppelganger gave a not so sane smile. "I've been conning people my entire life, Katara. Not all of us were born a princess."

"You know I'm not a princess. My father isn't even a formal chief of the Water Tribe. Your attempt to take over my life must have been such a disappointment."

"Well now I have the Fire Lord's seal. I know that position involves real wealth and power, ripe for the taking. Now if you'll excuse me, Cousin, I have a date with destiny."

The echoing footsteps the girl left felt like a death sentence.

"Please!" Katara begged the spirits. "Help me! Help him!"

She leaned her body against the metal, breaths coming out harshly. Long minutes passed. The room fogged with the night mist. Her eyes blurring with tears, Katara was startled as an older woman holding a lantern through the narrow hallway towards her cell.

The stranger was garbed in blood red robes, and her matching embroidered slippers made no noise upon the stone. Golden eyes stared deeply into Katara's own, as if judging her worthiness.

"Please," the dark brunette begged. "I have to save him."

The older woman bowed low before her, then smiled warmly as she touched the door with a pale hand.

The door slid open, creaking on rusted hinges. Katara ran out turning back to thank her mysterious savior at the last moment.

Nothing stood there but for a paper lantern.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

Zuko groaned as he lay face up on the stone floor. Poison was flooding his system, but all he could think of was the fire tongued girl languishing in the dungeons. He slid a calloused palm over his eyes begging for anything to save her. He didn't get a chance to even find out who she really was.

He slid his hand away, and gasped as warm brown eyes met his own.

"Lady?" he breathed.

No, this wasn't her, though the woman in front of him was similar in appearance to his companion.

The stranger placed fingers against the side of Zuko's head and against his chest.

"Pressure points," he thought fuzzily. Any healer, bender or not, knew that was the first action against toxins.

His vision blurred, the older woman was gone, but a younger, familiar one had taken her place.

"Finally," he murmured. "You know, the both of you have the same eyes." And with that thought, he slipped away into unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hours later Zuko awoke in bed, noticing the pretty girl curled up in a chair next to him. Her blue dress covered more than the red Painted Lady robe, but she was still just as pretty. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse croak.

The brunette woke, grumbling slightly.

Ah, she must have been up all night taking care of him, he thought sheepishly.

Uncorking a water skin, she formed a small, perfect orb of water, freezing it with one breath from her mouth.

Taking it gratefully, Zuko sighed as the ice soothed his parched throat.

He was alive. She was alive. She was a waterbender? That explained his fast healing.

"Katara," he ventured warily. "That's your name, not hers. And this is really your face?"

The Painted Lady nodded slowly. "It's been a long time since someone called me that, and since I could use my powers. I was afraid I was rusty." She ran glowing hands up and down his body.

"Did you escape using your bending? They said they had locked you up," he asked the girl. To his surprised his ankle had completely healed.

Katara shook her head. "No bending works down there. A woman dressed in red robes touched the door and they opened. All she was carrying was a paper lantern." She motioned to the object at Zuko's bedside. "It's pretty."

He ran a shaking hand over the delicate, paper covering. Hundreds of leagues away in an abandoned summer residence, the same paper lantern sat in the former Fire Lady's bedchamber.

"The princess!" he exclaimed. "She stole something from me, something that could damage my identity and hurt thousands of people. We have to go to Avatar Aang and get his help to find her."

He made an attempt to rise.

The water tribe member held up a slim hand. "Normally I would tell any patient that they need a full three days of bed rest before I even consider letting them walk, but-" she gave him a glare.

"-your body is healing at a faster rate than normal, no doubt due to your firebending. I'll gather our supplies for the journey back, but YOU have to stay in bed until I return." She left the room, muttering, "Ridiculous! Fire Lords masquerading as kitchen boys..."

With a sigh, Zuko did as she bid. He knew not to test a healer.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

They were soon on the road again following the tracks made by the false pair. Surprisingly the trail made for the Air Kingdom and not the Fire Nation. Zuko was glad of that. Still the Avatar was in danger, and it was up to him and his companion to save the last airbender.

Setting up a campsite to take their dinner, Zuko was reminded that he'd missed the days of travel and sleeping under the stars. Sometimes the palace, immense as it was, felt like a cage, suffocating him with his duties. Maybe he ran away because he was just lonely. His Uncle Iroh was a good companion, but the old man should only be taken in small doses sometimes. If another person was there to listen to his worries, that would truly help to heal him.

The young pair quickly set up for a late meal. As she went to gather water into the pot, Zuko lit the fire using his bending. He no longer had to hide his secrets, or his identity. It felt like a relief to be himself. He was neither the Fire Lord or the Kitchen Boy, but something in between.

Katara returned with a small catfish in the pot. Zuko set to cleaning it as she prepared herbs for the broth. A simmering soup was prepared and eaten quickly. As she stood to gather the bowls to wash, Zuko pulled her down to sit close to him with a huff.

"Those can wait," he grumbled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, bringing her close to him.

The girl straightened her back, gearing up to protest the rudeness, when he gave her a hard look. She had been holding it all in. Katara leaned into his side, hiding her face against his neck. He could feel her relax against his body.

"My cousin Kaya came to us in the middle of a winter storm. My father, Hakoda, thought it was a blessing since he and Sokka were about to leave to fight in the war the next day."

The Fire Lord hid a smile from her. The Avatar's Steward was Katara's brother. What epic fights the two must have had.

Katara continued on. "My father thought Kaya could keep me company, to help me look after the Southern Water Tribe's relocation." The small nation had evacuated during the Great War, explaining the lack of kitchen fires in the area.

"For the first few months all was fine, but eventually I noticed that the servants in the castle kept being dismissed. Soon it was only me, Kaya, and a man with the weird face."

_Weird face..._

"Koh the Face Stealer!" Zuko shouted with realization.

She nodded. "He stole my face and gave it to her. She thought she could rule, but she didn't know that the Southern Water Tribe has no riches. We can do just enough to survive."

The firebender grimaced. It was his kingdom's fault for destroying hers. The Fire Nation's hunting of waterbenders had drove her Tribe to ruin. He was still working to make amends.

"Kaya threw a fit and demanded more power and wealth. Koh went back to the Spirit World, returning only when he had a new vision. They were to recruit 3 warriors to pretend to take the 'princess' hostage. A noble knight would save her, and he would be the key to her destiny," she explained.

"Huh, the must have been really surprised when I told them I was only a kitchen boy," Zuko mused.

Katara smiled. "I wish I could have seen her face."

She raised brown eyes to meet his, "Now you Mr. Gloom and Doom. I've told you my secrets. It's time to tell me yours."

He shrugged his shoulders. "There's not much to tell. I turned against my father, joined the Avatar's team to defeat worldwide domination by the Fire Nation. The Fire Nation still wanted me as their Fire Lord, despite my betrayal."

The brown eyed girl scoffed. "You betrayed your megalomaniac father, not your nation. After everyone really thought about it, there was no way that a country as small as the Fire Nation could rule the whole world." She gave a glance at his distinctive scar. "How did Aang not recognize you? He saw you in the kitchens, right?"

"I wore the Blue Spirit mask when I fought in the war. I was ashamed of my face and my title. If I died fighting in the war, my father would have used my death to prove how weak I was. He would have destroyed any enemies if he knew they were protecting me. If I fought anonymously my victories would have been my own. No one would be hurt."

"But you had to do it alone," she murmured. "Just like me."

He threw a blanket around them both, gathering her close. "Well I'm not alone anymore, and neither are you."

Katara smiled freely for the first time in years, embracing him back grateful for his warmth.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

The cheery facade of the Air Temple greeted the young travelers as they rode their ostrich horses up to the gate the next afternoon.

It was all too easy to get past the guards. The young Avatar was notorious in inviting anyone and everyone to his kingdom. Not only had he saved the world from the Fire Nation invasion, but he also the last of the airbenders, a fact that could change with this discovery of spirit bending.

A new acolyte bounced in the air on an air cycle landing with a rough oomph on the ground.

"Wow, that was pretty cool, Sifu Aang!"

The sometimes naive savior of the world was surrounding himself with friendly and loyal people, which made the pair sneak around with ease through the dense crowd.

"Are you going to participate in the tournament?" a friendly earth bender chatted with them. "It's in honor of the marriage between Fire Lord Zuko and Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

"The what?!" the pair squawked at in surprise.

"Oh yeah, it was a surprise to everyone," the young man replied. "Who knew that the Kitchen Boy was really a Fire Lord, and the servant girl was really a princess? It's too bad the Fire Lord died while rescuing her. The whole nation is in mourning."

The speaker continued on. "Aang set together a tournament in his honor. Anyways, the entry forms are in the main pavillion. Benders and non-benders are allowed. It'll be a melee style fight, not one-on-one. Good luck!" With that said the man jauntily walked away with a wave.

The surprised pair could barely look at each other, their cheeks blushing with embarrassment. Well, this was certainly a turn of events!

Zuko shuddered to think of how his Uncle Iroh must have taken his death.

Katara frowned, biting her lip as she imagined Sokka absolutely foaming at the mouth wondering why she hadn't contacted her brother in years, much less her sudden marriage to a Fire Nation Lord of all people! The Steward still held a grudge against that nation for the death of their mother all the years ago.

"We… we need to find my Uncle," Zuko finally ventured a comment in the awkward silence.

Katara nodded. "I should talk to my brother, too, and Avatar Aang." She gave her companion a concerned look. "Kaya knows enough to impersonate me. Is she after your Uncle? The Fire Nation throne? Or the Avatar?"

He shook his head stubbornly, "Let's just find Uncle, your brother, and Aang right now before your clone get us into any more trouble." He drew up a dark brown hood to cover up his distinctive scar, while his companion hid her face under a blue kerchief.

Surprising even himself in the late day's light, he grabbed her smaller hand in his as they wound themselves through the throng of people scattered around the Airbender Kingdom's courtyard.

A glimpse of the bald headed boy with a smiling face was all the pair saw.

"Avatar Aang -" Zuko managed to call out before an irate merchant interrupted him.

"What are we going to do about my cabbages, Avatar?!" a vendor groused. "I've been trying to set up my shop for hours now!"

"We need a couple of Earthbenders to reinforce the arena, Avatar Aang, and the lychee nuts are set to be delivered within the hour."

A screech from his pet winged lemur had the young boy chuckling. "Alright, Momo. Calm down." He gave a quiet little sigh, "I wanted to go air scootering, but as usual duties never wait." The Avatar was swallowed up by a crowd of onlookers and servants as he entered the castle.

"Come on!" Katara called to a flabbergasted Zuko, but it was to no avail. Aang had been snatched up by his duties.

The firebender guessed he'd have to spend a little more time with the hot-tempered waterbender.

And that was alright with him.

* * *

_The women in the previous stories is supposed to be Zuko's and Katara's mom. I hope I conveyed it enough._

_Grignard_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Every precious minute of the Avatar's time was spent dealing with petitioners or well-wishers. Sokka, his steward, was inundated with the daily runnings of the kingdom, on top of organizing a last minute tournament.

The brunette girl huffed quietly to herself. Zuko could see her tensing fingers inching towards the waterskin at her side. He was pretty sure they would definitely get Aang's attention with a well timed water whip. Unfortunately they'd probably be jailed for that action.

They were walking the hallways of the private quarters of the Avatar and his guests. Katara moved around the corner when the firebender's strong arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her close to him.

She curled instinctively into his warmth. The cold regions of the Southern Water Tribe always left them with a desire for heat and fire. Wouldn't it be nice to just adopt a firebender?

Quiet voices approaching was the reason for the sudden stop. The speakers were achingly familiar, but Zuko held her in place.

"So where is Katara now?" asked Sokka to his older companion. The Avatar looked on in confusion, following their conversation.

"In her quarters with her servant," Iroh replied with a voice rough with sorrow. The loss of his precious nephew was heartbreaking. Zuko had been a second son to him. He had come to the Air Kingdom hoping they had news of his errant nephew. He didn't know he would be staying to mourn his remaining relative's demise.

Sokka could hear the tinge of worry in the old man's tone. "What's wrong? You sense it too, don't you?"

The elder nodded. "Not Katara, but the servant's chi is all wrong." He gave a solemn glance to Aang. "The last time I felt a chi like this was in the Spirit World." The white-haired man gave a probing look to the Water Tribe boy. "You sense the same thing about Katara?"

He raised a dark hand behind his head, "Hers is off, like it's been dampened. Not only that, but she doesn't remember some details of home. She said she had taken a fall not so long ago and couldn't remember well."

"Something's wrong. We'll have to ask her more tomorrow. Maybe I'll enter the Spirit World too, when the moon is full."

The normally jubilant man's young face turned serious. There were dangerous creatures in that world. Such petty beings would be willing to rip out your soul for insulting them. He'd have to see if Guru Pathik would be willing to assist him, but that meant banana onion juice. Yuck!

"For now," Iroh proposed, "we should stay in the main chambers away from the others. I'm not sure, but her story about my nephew seems false."

Aang bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Iroh. I should have consulted you before organizing a whole festival around them."

The older man merely waved it off, wanting to get to the bottom of his beloved nephew's death.

Zuko and Katara sighed as they watched the trio leave. There went the chance to reveal the truth to them.

The young man scrubbed his face with the palm of his hands, "We'll have to try tomorrow, during the tournament, so we can have everyone in one place."

Katara nodded. "But that means you'd have to fight everyone."

He gave her a smirk, "Are you doubting my fighting skills again?"

"No," she said rolling her eyes. "I'm just mentally preparing if I have to heal you again. Benders make the worst patients."

Zuko huffed a warm breath into her shoulder. "Don't worry. I won't get hurt. Only a master can defeat me."

The young girl drew out her water skin turning a droplet of water into a deadly needle. "I am a master. Shall we put it to the test?"

He took her hand again, now of second nature, walking them back to their rooms.

"Definitely not until after tomorrow. Not only do I have to compete in the tournament, but you'll have to stay in the stands to watch my back."

"I could compete too," she murmured.

Zuko thought back. Katara was probably forced to stay behind, to take care of the Southern Water Tribe while her father and brother fought in the war. Such a dismissal of her abilities must have made her full of resentment.

He chose his words carefully, "I need you to protect me during the tournament. If I fail, you'll have to find a way to stop Kaya and Koh. I have no idea how to stop a Spirit."

Katara nodded grudgingly. "Alright, Zuko, I can do that for you."

The scarred face smirked softly, "Another secret? I won't lose though. We have a match to fight." He stopped in front of the door of their adjoining rooms.

"That I'll win," his beautiful companion acknowledged.

He drew her smaller hand in his, kissing the back of it with reverence.

"I look forward to it."

Her soft laughter followed him as he entered his rooms.

ATLAATLAATLAATLAATLA

The day of the tournament, in the early morning light, Zuko was finishing the last of his firebending katas when he noticed a quiet figure beside him watching intently. A tray of light bread and lychee nuts sat by her side.

Wordlessly he nodded and Katara leapt forward with her waterskin by her side. A thin trail of clear liquid spilled out, wielded by experienced hands. Their hits were restrained, nothing strenuous, serving to test each others' strengths and weaknesses.

He had to admit her waterbending was formidable, but rusty from disuse. Zuko hoped to rectify that in the future.

If the girl wanted to have a future with him.

The tournament flags rippled merrily in the breeze as a small group of airbenders showed off their airbending skills. Aang clapped with merriment at his high seat above the crowd. He longed to join his students on the ground, but as the Avatar and ruler of the Air Kingdom, he had his role to play.

Sokka to his left and Iroh to his right provided watchful eyes to the dense crowd, scanning for any abnormalities. The subject of their concern sat a few steps away. The brunette girl looked more interested in the cheering onlookers than in mourning her husband. Her servant also hovered behind her with a strange smile.

Aang just needed a sign. It would be reckless to suddenly accuse someone of lying. Sokka was crossed between scolding his sister, and apologized for abandoning her for so long, but he was easily forgiven. Too easily. After the Great War, the young man had become caught up with being declared the Avatar's Steward and helping to rebuild the young man's Kingdom. In his selfishness, he completely forgot about calling his sister to join him. At least she would have water-whipped him at first sight. Katara hadn't water-bent at all.

The merry call of horns announced the arrival of the combatants.

"Welcome to the Tournament of the Two Lovers!" called out a cheery announcer. "In honor of the marriage between the late Fire Lord Zuko and the fair maiden Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the Avatar wishes one and all to a tournament and feast to pay respect to the Fire Lord's passing."

Aang and the Fire Lady stood waving to the adoring assembly. Katara appeared to take in the praise almost greedily.

"Now ladies and gentlemen! The rules are simple. Those who are knocked out of the circle or unable to fight any longer are forfeit the match. The last one standing gets to bring the lover of their choosing to Avatar Aang to be granted a boon."

Zuko snorted. What was up with Aang and granting boons?

He gripped a lightweight mask he had in his hand. Besides his dao swords, the Blue Spirit mask was one of the few possessions he took when he left the Fire Nation to find himself. He glanced up at the girl beneath the brown cloak in the spectator stands. It was time to claim his birthright and his responsibilities. He had found himself recently. He had found someone else too.

"Alright, if all the participants are ready, the melee will now begin!"

All at once it was a chaotic mess as water collided with fire and earth was thrown with blasts of wind. The minor fighters were eliminated early, and Zuko merely had to defend himself against a few opponents before the real matches competed.

As was typical of melee free for alls, only the strongest remained standing. The golden eyed warrior could see a green clad earthbender, a swordsman, and to his surprise, Zhao a Fire Nation Admiral. He had thought Zhao had been disgraced after the war.

The earthbender and swordsman both eliminated themselves following an impressive display of flying boulders and slashing steel. Waterbender healers quickly took the unconscious pair to the healing tents after a mutual knock out from the ring.

"Blue Spirit!" the crowd chanted after seeing Zuko's impressive display of swordsmanship and acrobatics. Everyone wondered who the mysterious warrior was, if he was a bender or non-bender. It was rare that one not blessed by the Spirits ended up as a Champion.

Aang could see Iroh staring intently at the mysterious fighter, paying no mind to his nephew's bride on the next dias. The Avatar himself had fought beside a formidable warrior dressed as the Blue Spirit. One who had saved his life from the Fire Nation many times. How strange for him to show up after all this time.

Zuko and Admiral Zhao cautiously circled each other around the arena, neither one moving to strike first. The young Fire Lord had defeated the arrogant Admiral in an Agni Kai during the Great War, but rumor was that Zhao had began training secretly and had great new abilities.

Zuko had yet to see any improvement.

The older man finally decided to attack first as he sent a powerful, large fireball towards Zuko's head.

Weaving around the deadly blast, the scarred boy could tell this was just a warning shot, and a mocking display of how powerful a firebender Zhao wanted to show himself as.

The crowd oohed and cheered at the sight of the masked warrior evading the heat with ease. Their love of firebenders had noticeably cooled after the war. Some still possessed resentment towards the Fire Nation, however the young Fire Lord had been quickly winning hearts with his involvement with Avatar Aang and war reparations, until his unfortunate disappearence and demise.

Zuko slashed again with swords and kicks at the larger man, hoping to break his footing as he did so long before at the last Agni Kai.

The man seemed to have anticipated it though, and retaliated with another enormous blast of heat and flame.

Zhao scowled seeing his opponent again dodge the attack, "You should have chosen to accept your fate now. Now no one will fault you if you stepped out of the ring."

Only a slash of blades was his opponent's response. There would be no backing down by either fighter.

Zhao soon found himself being worn down. It was obvious the other warrior was a younger man. The Admiral himself did not have the stamina as he did in the past, and for some reason his foe did not fear the heat and power of his fire.

It was time to pull the ultimate move.

The Admiral took a deep breath clearing his mind of any thoughts or emotions. He extended two fingers in a semi-circle with his right followed by his left.

"No!" Iroh bellowed.

Aang drew his arms up, ready to airbend the hapless victim out of the way, but he knew he could not make it in time. Lightning was unpredictable and could strike a moving target.

All Zuko could see was a blue arc bearing down upon him.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Instinctively (thanks Azula!), the young Fire Lord plucked the lightning bolt from the air with extended fingers. Using his right hand, he drew the electric charge down into his center of body, finally passing it through his outstretched left harmlessly into the open sky.

Zhao stared, stupified that someone could evade a direct lightning attack! There was only a handful of high-ranking military officers that could summon lightning. There were even _fewer _that could re-direct lightning. In fact, the only ones that could-

-were members of the royal family...

That was the Admiral's last thought before the masked Blue Spirit incapacitated him with a strong right hand fire-punch.

The crowd burst into cheers and applause seeing the amazing demonstration.

"Look at that skill!" The announcer called above the shouts. "The Avatar himself survived a lightning attack, and learned the skill of redirection in order to defend himself against the former Fire Lord Ozai!"

Zuko huffed. It was because he was the one who had taught it to the young Airbender!

He breathed quietly, his body aching from the sudden jolt of electricity.

Aang whispered to Sokka, "Have the guards escort out Admiral Zhao when he recovers. I'm not going to have a dishonorable man shooting lightning at people who don't know how to fight against it."

The young Steward nodded, relaying Aang's command to a nearby guard.

"It was lucky-," Iroh mused, "- that the masked fighter knew how to redirect it."

"He fights well." Aang scratched his head, "I've fought beside him before, during the war. Do I know him?"

The memory of the day of Sozin's Comet tickled his brain.

Iroh gave a secretive smile. "I believe we do, but perhaps we should ask him to find out. I think it will be a wonderful surprise." The older firebender looked more cheerful than he had been in weeks, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Aang quirked a confused look at him, but amplified his voice using an old airbending technique.

"Congratulations to you, great warrior, for winning the Tournament of Two Lovers! Would you please bring your chosen one to the dias so I can grant you anything your heart desires?"

The Blue Spirit nodded, and made his way slowly to the side of the stands. A cluster of screaming girls grabbed at his hands so he could choose them, but he only reached for one.

As he lifted her onto the tournament green, the hooded girl took the discreet opportunity to heal his pain with her waterbending.

"Oh, thank Agni," he groaned after feeling the cooling relief against his aching muscles. The human body was not meant to take on a direct lightning attack.

Katara chastised him gently, "We are definitely going on a vacation after this."

He took her hand in his, and was glad the mask hid his broad smile. He could imagine the two of them watching the sunset on Ember Island privately.

The masked and hooded pair walked sedately towards the pavilion high above the crowd, their steps smooth and measured. As they approached the airbending king, the two suddenly swept into a deep kowtow, holding their obeisance for several seconds. Such displays of reverence were reserved only for the highest of kings. The audience roared with approval.

Aang blushed at the sudden formality, responding with a deep bow of his own.

"Rise, my friends! You have proven your worth especially with that awesome lighting bending. Please, who are you? What can I do for you?"

The pair did as he bid, but still concealed their faces.

A rough voice rang out for all to hear beneath the blue mask, "Avatar Aang, I desire nothing. Only that you grant justice for my companion!"

"Hey, that sounds like Shou," Sokka muttered to himself. "I mean, Fire Lord Zuko."

With that familiar tone, Iroh couldn't help but blurt out, "Tell me my nephew! Is your companion as lovely as she seems? What kind of tea does she like?"

A string of rants and curses erupted from the young man as he unmasked himself to shout at his Uncle.

The gathering of people gasped in astonishment.

_The Fire Lord?!_

It truly was him. The scar was even on the same side!

The Avatar held his arms up for silence. He had asked for a sign, hadn't he?

"Fire Lord Zuko. I'm glad you weren't killed as Princess Katara said." He gave a glance at the silent girl in her high seat. "I offer my apologies for not recognizing you as Shou. I hope you were treated fairly in the kitchens."

The firebender snorted, "Well enough, besides getting made fun of." He gave a glare towards the blushing Steward.

"I'm sorry, Shou. Err, I mean Zuko. I shouldn't have treated you like that." The wolf-tailed Knight gave a strange look to the man. "I thought Katara said you were dead, and that she married you?"

Zuko fought the blush at his cheeks again from the word, marriage.

"I'll let my companion answer your question, Sokka."

Another familiar voice threw the Gaang into confusion.

"Tell me, Sokka-"

The Steward's forehead creased in confusion. Wait, that was his sister's voice, but she was sitting near him. Who was this hooded girl?

"- Have you been noticing strange things about Katara's story? How could she have married someone without even speaking to you? Did she even say one thing right when you asked her questions about what she had been up to during the war?"

Sokka had to nod at that. Everything the girl had said had been true, but she had gotten their family friend Bato's name wrong in conversation yesterday. She claimed she had a headache, and had taken to her rooms early after dinner.

"She said she had fallen on the ice a few months ago, and suffered memory loss. She was lucky enough to recover from that," he answered. He felt strange, calm even. He had felt more comfortable talking to this stranger than his own sister!

"Let's prove it," the hooded girl continued. "I'll ask her a single question. If she can answer it, I'll drop any wrongs I have towards her."

She turned towards the girl high above, "Tell me _Princess_ Katara, what did Sokka use to remove a fish hook that got stuck on his finger when you guys went ice fishing a few seasons ago?"

"Katara" glanced down at her accuser, her face paling by the minute. "Why do I have to answer this?" She turned back to her the Steward. "Sokka, I am your sister. Don't listen to foolish ramblings! She's probably high on cactus juice."

Sokka frowned. "It's a simple question, Katara. You were never this defensive before. Just answer it. You were there with me."

The girl bit her lip, giving a quick glance to her servant before revealing a response.

"Pliers! Sokka used pliers to remove the fish hook!"

"Wrong!" The brunette threw off her hood pointing an accusing finger at her doppelganger. "Sokka used another fish hook to remove the first!"

Both girls were identical in face and tone, but that didn't stop the Steward from leaping off the second story pavilion to embrace the true sister.

Aang quickly airbent the Steward back onto the dais and towards the stairs. Sokka clamored down them after being followed by an additionally overjoyed Iroh.

"Seize her!" Aang ordered his guards, but the girl's strange servant got to the princess first.

"Not another step, Avatar. I'd hate for something to happen to her face." He gripped her neck in a tight grasp.

Something seemed to flicker in the air, and what was Katara's face morphed into a plain woman's features. Her skin was the traditional Water Tribe darkness, but her eyes were small and dull.

With thin lips, Kaya snarled, "Koh! We had a deal! Look! There are the thousands of faces I promised you!"

The onlookers and attendees screamed and gasped in horror.

_Koh the Face Stealer!_

That demonic Spirit knew only of chaos and mayhem. Fairy tales were told that Koh would steal the faces off misbehaving children. Now he was here in the mortal realm!

"Koh!" Aang shouted. "I order you as the Avatar to return to the Spirit World! I will take on the girl's debt. Just leave her alone!"

The smiling servant merely shook his head, "You know it doesn't work like that, Avatar. The girl found me in the Spirit World and promised me many faces if I gave her wealth and power. Stealing her cousin's face made her a leader of the Southern Water Tribe, but that wasn't enough for her. Picking three warriors - one forced, one bribed, and one eager - I managed to make her the Fire Lady. What would she want next? To be the Avatar?"

He turned back to the shocked girl in his grasp. "We had a deal, mortal. I fulfilled my part, but you demanded more and more. I'll settle on your face or none at all."

He opened a glowing portal which bubbled with the mist of another world. One step was all it would take before the girl would be lost forever.

"How about none at all!" Katara shouted.

Her hand extended into a claw shape causing Koh's hostage to stiffen before dropping to the ground like a load of rocks.

Gazing in wonder as the Spirit realized the girl was out of his tight hold he didn't notice a water spike impaling his mortal body straight into the heart.

"Why, that looks fatal," he remarked blithely, as he tumbled backwards into the portal.

The gateway closed with a snap leaving everyone in stunned silence.

"He tried to take my face!" the fallen water tribe girl ranted.

Aang quickly called on his guards to seize the shrieking girl. First a disgraced firebender, now a traitorous water tribesman. His soldiers had never seen so much action before.

As usual, Kaya had never thought of the consequences for her actions, Katara thought sadly. She'd have to see if the Northern Water Tribe had the resources to hold the con-woman.

A warm arm around her waist drew her from her morose thoughts.

"Bloodbending, huh."

"Lightning bending, huh," she echoed the Fire Lord in return.

"Our re-match would truly be memorable, however, it'll have to wait."

Sokka and Iroh who had been standing on the sidelines ready to leap into action at the standoff now embraced their long lost relatives instead.

"My nephew, how I missed you. I was truly devastated when I heard you had perished."

Zuko hugged his Uncle in return. "I'm sorry, Uncle Iroh for leaving the Fire Nation. I just needed a moment to get away from the responsibilities."

"Well," the old man added with a sharp look. "I'm glad you found such a pretty companion to keep you company. Ask her if she would like a tour of the Fire Nation."

The girl in question was having a similar ordeal with her brother.

"Katara!" Sokka squawked. "Why didn't you tell me Kaya was taking advantage of you? She was supposed to help out with the Southern Water Tribe's relocation."

"Well I didn't know she was going to steal my face and take over my life the moment everyone was gone!"

The man winced quietly, "That's a good point, Katara. I'm sorry I wasn't around to look out for you. How about you stay in Aang's Kingdom with me from now on?"

Katara gave a longing glance towards a tall, lean man with a distinctive scar over his eye.

"I think I'd like to travel for a while."

With that said, she left her brother, took the Firebender's hand in hers, and gave an enthusiastic greeting towards a smiling Uncle Iroh.

"Jasmine is my favorite, Uncle Iroh."

Aang's feeling of disappointment seeing the pretty girl talking beside the tall Fire Lord evaporated as he overheard Sokka muttering to himself with a fond, but chagrined smile. "Just don't have another secret wedding without me."

The young man threw a brotherly arm around his Steward as the reunited group made their way into the castle - to feast and celebrate on the reunion of family and the tale of Two Lovers, both ancient and modern.

* * *

_Thanks for reading,  
Grignard_


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